Panel Discussion: The Impact of Vocabulary Knowledge on Reading Comprehension

Panelists:

● Zhang, Professor of Education

● Karakoç, Assistant Professor of Education
● Durmuşoğlu Köse, Professor of Education
● Oslund, Researcher in Education
● Pourhosein Gilakjani, Associate Professor of Education
● Abartis, Professor of English
● Stoffelsma, Professor of Linguistics
● Panel Moderator
● Audiences

Panel Moderator: Good evening, and welcome to our Language Learning panel discussion on the
impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading comprehension. Our panelists are all experts in the
field of education and have conducted extensive research on this topic.Let's start with a short
self-introduction.

Dr.Zhang:Hello everyone! I'm Dr. zhang. As a Professor of Education with expertise in early
childhood education and literacy development, I am excited to share my knowledge and research
with the audience.

Dr.Karakoç:It's my turn. I'm Karako.I am an assistant professor of education specializing in

instructional design and technology integration.

Dr.Durmuşoğlu: My name is Durmuşoğlu Köse.I am an associate professor of education with

expertise in language learning and assessment, and I am excited to be part of this group and
contribute to the discussion about education.

Oslund: Hello friends!I'm Oslund. As an education researcher focused on educational equity and
community engagement, I am excited to share my insights and perspectives with my audience.

Pourhosein Gilakjani:Hi everyone! This was my first time participating in a panel discussion.
My name is Pourhosein Gilakjani.

Dr.Abartis: I am Abartis. Nice to meet everyone!

Stoffelsma: It's finally my turn! My name is Stoffelsma. As a Professor of Linguistics with

expertise in language acquisition and bilingualism, I am excited to share my knowledge and
insights with the audience and engage in thought-provoking discussions.
Panel Moderator: As the moderator of this panel, I am honored to facilitate a dynamic and
engaging discussion with such esteemed panelists and insightful audience members.Thank for
everyone introduce yourself.

Panel Moderator: Our primary audience for tonight's discussion is educators and students. Let's
begin with our first panelist, Dr. Abartis. Can you share with us the findings of your study on the
effect of writing instruction and reading methodology on college students' reading skills?

Dr. Abartis: Thank you for having me here today. Our study found that writing instruction and
reading methodology do have a positive impact on college students' reading skills. Specifically,
we found that students who received explicit writing instruction and were taught effective
reading strategies showed significant improvement in their reading comprehension.

Panel Moderator: Thank you, Dr. Abartis. Our next panelist, Dr. Zhang, your study focused on
the role of vocabulary and grammar knowledge in second language reading comprehension. Can
you tell us more about your findings?

Dr. Zhang: Yes, our study found that vocabulary and grammar knowledge have a significant
impact on second language reading comprehension. We also found that explicitly teaching
vocabulary and grammar can improve students' reading comprehension. Our study suggests that
language teachers should prioritize vocabulary and grammar instruction in their teaching.

Dr.Karakoç: I agree with Zhang's findings. In addition, teaching effective reading strategies can
also improve reading comprehension.

Durmuşoğlu Köse: I concur with both Dr.Zhang and Dr.Karakoç. Vocabulary knowledge is
indeed a crucial predictor of reading comprehension, and effective reading strategies can
enhance it.

Dr. Zhang:There is an important example in my research that demonstrates that vocabulary

knowledge is an important predictor of reading comprehension. We had students read the
passage "The girl gave a present to her friend." If a student does not know the meaning of
"present," they might misunderstand the sentence's meaning . In contrast, if they have a rich
vocabulary, they can infer the meaning of "present" from the context and understand the
sentence's meaning. I also think that vocabulary knowledge has an indirect effect on reading
comprehension.

Dr. Oslund:Absolutely. I also think that vocabulary has an indirect effect on reading
comprehension. Based on my research on reading comprehension in adolescents, I have found
that word reading, the ability to identify and decode individual words, is important for
developing the ability to read automatically. Vocabulary knowledge is critical to understanding
the meaning of words in context. For example, if a student struggles with word reading but has a
large vocabulary, they may still be able to comprehend the text because they can use their
vocabulary knowledge to infer the meaning of unknown words.

Dr. Stoffelsma: I disagree with this point. I think morphology and vocabulary knowledge have a
direct impact on reading comprehension. This means that the more morphemes and words
readers know, the better they will be able to understand the text they are reading. This is because
morphology and vocabulary are critical components of language comprehension. Morphology
refers to the study of word structure, including prefixes, suffixes, and root words. When readers
have a strong understanding of morphology, they can more easily decode complex words and
understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Dr. Zhang:That's a great point. As educators, we can incorporate strategies such as word walls,
vocabulary games, and word analysis activities to help students develop their understanding of
these critical components of language.

Dr.Stoffelsma:And it's not just important for students learning a second language, it's important
for native English speakers as well.

Durmuşoğlu Köse: I completely agree. As educators, we need to prioritize teaching morphology

and vocabulary, and provide students with the tools and strategies they need to develop their
understanding of these critical components of language. Doing so can help students not only
improve their reading comprehension skills, but also their academic achievement overall.Are
there any other effective reading strategies that can improve students' reading comprehension
skills?

Dr. Pourhosein Gilakjani: Sure, our study found that teaching effective reading strategies can
improve students' reading comprehension. We recommend that teachers use strategies such as
skimming, scanning, and predicting to help students comprehend text better.

Dr. Karakoç: wow!Let me show you thing.Our study found that vocabulary knowledge has a
significant impact on the reading and writing proficiency of EFL learners. We recommend that
language teachers prioritize vocabulary instruction in their teaching.

Dr. Durmuşoğlu Köse: Additionally, our study found that a wide range of vocabulary knowledge
is necessary for students to become proficient readers and writers. We suggest that teachers use a
variety of instructional methods, such as reading extensively and using graphic organizers, to
help students acquire and retain new vocabulary.

Dr.Stoffelsma: However I think we also need to consider the role of morphology. Morphology
refers to the study of word structure and how words are formed. It includes prefixes, suffixes,
and roots, which are essential for building vocabulary. The morphology-vocabulary-reading
mechanism plays a significant role in students' academic achievement in English as a second
language context. For example, knowing the meaning of the prefix "un-" can help students
understand the meaning of words like "unhappy," "unfair," and "unhealthy."I suggest that
teachers can effectively improve students' reading comprehension skills by teaching vocabulary
and morphology.

Panel Moderator: Wow! It seems that the experts have a lot of insights and experience about
teaching methods. Let's ask the audience if they have any questions they want to know about it.

Audience Q&A session:

Audience1 :How can teachers incorporate vocabulary and morphology instruction in their
teaching?

Dr. Stoffelsma :Teachers can effectively improve students' reading comprehension skills by
teaching vocabulary and morphology. In terms of incorporating morphology into instruction,
teachers can use activities that focus on word parts, such as creating word trees or word webs,
analyzing word families, or identifying roots and affixes.

Audience2:Are there any online resources or tools that you would recommend for teachers to use
when teaching vocabulary and morphology?

Dr. Durmuşoğlu Köse:emmm…I think teachers can use a variety of instructional methods, such
as reading extensively and using graphic organizers, to help students acquire and retain new
vocabulary. In addition to these methods, I recommend several online resources and tools that
can be used to supplement vocabulary instruction. These include Quizlet, which provides
flashcards and other study tools for a wide range of subjects, Vocabulary.com, which offers
interactive vocabulary games and quizzes, and Wordly Wise 3000, which is a vocabulary-
building program that includes online activities and resources.

Panel Moderator:While there may be some disagreement about whether perhaps words have a
direct or indirect impact on reading comprehension and what is the most effective way to teach
it, it is clear that all of our panelists agreed on the importance of teaching vocabulary to improve
reading comprehension. Thank you to all of our panelists for sharing your insights with us today.
 Works Cited

Abartis, C., & Collins, C. (1980). The Effect of Writing Instruction and Reading

Methodology upon College Students’ Reading Skills. Journal of Reading, 23(5), 408–

413. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40028813

ZHANG. (2012). Vocabulary and Grammar Knowledge in Second Language Reading

Comprehension: A Structural Equation Modeling Study: Vocabulary and Grammar

Knowledge in Second Language Reading Comprehension. The Modern Language

Journal (Boulder, Colo.), 96(4), 558–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-

4781.2012.01398.x

Pourhosein Gilakjani, A., & Sabouri, N. B. (2016). How can students improve their

reading comprehension skill. Journal of Studies in Education, 6(2), 229.

Karakoç, D. & Durmuşoğlu Köse, G. (2017). The impact of vocabulary knowledge on

reading, writing and proficiency scores of EFL learners . Journal of Language and

Linguistic Studies , 13 (1) , 352-378 . Retrieved from

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jlls/issue/36109/405467

Oslund, Clemens, N. H., Simmons, D. C., & Simmons, L. E. (2018). The direct and

indirect effects of word reading and vocabulary on adolescents’ reading

comprehension: Comparing struggling and adequate comprehenders. Reading &

Writing, 31(2), 355–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-017-9788-3

Stoffelsma, Spooren, W., Mwinlaaru, I. N., & Antwi, V. (2020). The morphology-

vocabulary- reading mechanism and its effect on students’ academic achievement in

an English L2 context. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 47, 100887–.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100887
Jocelyn Guo

Instructor Raphael Radna

Writing 2

03/01/2023

Reflective Essay

When I was in junior high school in China, the time constraint of writing was my biggest

difficulty. Because I like to work slowly and freely. In China, there was always a time limit for

writing in English, which meant I might have to submit my essay before I had a chance to

conceptualize and innovate. And a lot of writing in China is uniformly standardized. However, I

couldn't understand their standards. They require students to use advanced vocabulary,

deterministic clauses, and the more words, the better. As a result, I often wondered if I was good

at writing. When I came to the United States for college, I found that the time limit for writing

was no longer as challenging as it had been before. This was because my teachers gave me ample

time to express my ideas and showcase my creativity. But new difficulties emerged. Sometimes I

felt I was able to read and understand American academic articles or books well, while other

times I would come across long texts where I could not understand what the author was trying to

say. When this situation arose, I began to list several research questions that I wanted to explore.

Identifying academic papers for the final list was the most challenging part of my WP2

process. In the beginning, the research question I wanted to explore was how does accumulating

vocabulary and reading skills help with writing. These papers are all about topics related to my

research question. I wanted to clarify the final list of papers by reading the abstracts of the

papers. When I started reading these academic papers, I felt confused and anxious. Several of the

12 academic papers I selected were published before 2000.At this moment, I recalled

Rosenberg's reading strategy. In the article, "Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly
Sources," Rosenberg states that read smarter, not harder. One of the reading strategies he

mentions that I think works well is to be clear about what you are reading for. Specifically, when

you don't understand the purpose of your reading or are confused by a teacher's assignment, you

should initiate a conversation with the teacher or a classmate. This process not only pushes us to

think, but also to complete the task efficiently and clarify our position. Inspired by this strategy, I

participated in a zoom session with Instructor Raphael Radna and asked about the doubts that

arose from my choice of articles list and the meaning of the task Finding Sources via Citation.

This zoom session was helpful for me. The instructor suggested that I could use recent academic

articles to replace some older ones. The benefit of the new article is that it shows the latest

research results and progress, thus keeping the audience informed. In addition, the teacher also

explained that the significance of finding any of the more recent articles citing any of the older

ones is to be able to find the dialogue between the authors of the articles, which can help us to

better complete the task "Burkean parlor".The idea behind the Burkean parlor is that individuals

with different viewpoints can come together to exchange ideas and perspectives in a non-

confrontational environment. Once I was clear about the significance of this task, I was able to

quickly and efficiently determine the final list of academic papers. By reading the article

abstracts and references, we can see the divergence and consistency of the authors' views on the

same topic. Therefore, it is very important to add any articles connected by citation to a final list.

After careful reading and thinking, I finally decided on 6 academic articles for my final list.

The PB2D task was analyzing and paraphrasing sources, which was the most time

consuming task in my opinion. Through this task, I was able to better understand each author's

position and how their views were communicated. As I analyzed the content of each article, I

realized that my research question needed to be revised because these articles focused more on
how vocabulary knowledge affects reading comprehension rather than the impact of accumulated

vocabulary on writing.Therefore, I changed the final research question to how vocabulary

knowledge affects reading comprehension. In my opinion, the authors' arguments are always

scattered when analyzing each paper individually, and it is difficult to integrate the relationship

between all the authors' arguments. In order to create a "Burkean parlor" conversation in PB2E, I

created a table to summarize the arguments that the authors agree and disagree with.For example,

Zhang (2012), Karakoç and Durmuşoğlu Köse (2017), and Oslund et al. (2018) all find that

vocabulary knowledge has a significant impact on reading comprehension. They agree that

vocabulary knowledge is an important predictor of reading comprehension.When I finished the

table, I could easily and quickly find out which authors were on a team.This process helps me

and logically understand the connections between authors' points of view.

In addition, choosing the suitable genre is also an important part. In the article,

"Navigating Genres," Kerry Dirk states that genres are used to identify and classify different

types of texts. Each genre has its own set of conventions and expectations that help readers

understand the purpose and meaning of the text. Understanding genres is important for both

writers and readers, as it allows them to navigate and interpret different types of texts more

effectively. After much discussion and consideration, I finally decided to translate my chosen

academic paper into the genre of panel discussion. The most important audience for this topic

will be educators, especially those who work with students to improve their reading

comprehension skills. This may include teachers, reading specialists, students, and curriculum

developers. I think panel discussion is the appropriate genre.In the article, "Ten Ways To Think

About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students," E. Shelly Reid states that

three key rhetorical rules can address many aspects of writing, which can help students express
their core points through written language and create a fun mood. The three rules are: write about

what interests you, show specific details and arguments, and be clear about your reader and the

purpose of your writing (Reid, 2003). I believe that a clear reader and purpose for writing are the

most effective writing strategies.The topic I want to discuss is the impact of vocabulary

knowledge on reading comprehension. Firstly, panel discussions allow for multiple perspectives

and ideas to be shared and discussed in a collaborative and interactive way. This is especially

important in a topic like education, where there may be varying opinions on the best approach to

teaching vocabulary. In my opinion, by involving experts from different backgrounds and

perspectives in the discussion, the audience can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the

topic.Educators participating in this panel discussion will be interested in learning about the

various perspectives on how vocabulary knowledge affects reading comprehension and the most

effective ways to teach vocabulary. They would benefit from hearing from a diverse range of

scholars who have studied this topic, as it would help them to develop informed strategies for

supporting their students' reading comprehension. In addition, the panel discussion allows

audience participation through a question-and-answer session or audience voting, which can

increase participation and provide valuable feedback. The audience can also benefit from hearing

directly from experts and researchers in the field, gaining insights that may not be readily

available elsewhere.

In my opinion, the process of creating a new genre is free, but the process of integrating

all the material is long. I translated different authors' ideas into panel discussion arguments based

on PB2D and PB2E, and created conflicts to show the audience the differences and connections

between the authors' ideas. Although the authors of these six academic articles all published their

articles at different times, they could appear in the same space and time during my creation of the
new genre. They can have a dialogue and a collision of ideas in my imaginary space. In my new

genre process of writing panel discussion, I no longer set up perfect rules and strategies for

myself as I did in the past. According to Reid, "When a person is in a writing space where there

are no perfect rules or strategies, he can try something that leads to improvements and changes in

writing" (11).When I became genre conscious and stopped setting up formulaic rules for myself,

it helped me to be flexible in solving all writing problems for different purposes and in different

contexts, and to think outside the box to further improve my writing skills. The whole creative

process allows me to feel the freedom of writing and to truly immerse myself in my creative

world.
 Works Cited

Dirk, K. (2010). Navigating genres. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 1, Parlor

Press, pp. 188-210.

Reid, E. S. (2003). Ten ways to think about writing: Metaphoric musings for college writing

students. Writing on the Edge, 14(2), 27-43.

Rosenberg, B. (2015). Reading games: Strategies for reading scholarly sources. Pedagogy, 15(3),

397-408.

ZHANG. (2012). Vocabulary and Grammar Knowledge in Second Language Reading

Comprehension: A Structural Equation Modeling Study: Vocabulary and Grammar

Knowledge in Second Language Reading Comprehension. The Modern Language

Journal (Boulder, Colo.), 96(4), 558–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-

4781.2012.01398.x

Karakoç, D. & Durmuşoğlu Köse, G. (2017). The impact of vocabulary knowledge on

reading, writing and proficiency scores of EFL learners . Journal of Language and

Linguistic Studies , 13 (1) , 352-378 . Retrieved from

https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jlls/issue/36109/405467

Oslund, Clemens, N. H., Simmons, D. C., & Simmons, L. E. (2018). The direct and

indirect effects of word reading and vocabulary on adolescents’ reading

comprehension: Comparing struggling and adequate comprehenders. Reading &

Writing, 31(2), 355–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-017-9788-3